# Why are Cubans so Over-hyped?



## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

Don't get me wrong. Living in Detroit, I'm the first to cross the river to go to Windsor and get my self a Bolivar Belicoso, but why do so many people think that because a cigar is a Cuban, it automatically is a fine cigar? Year after year, we see lists of top 25 cigars from many different sources, and for the most part Cubans never even make the top five. A couple of years ago, the $100 behike made all the way to 10-13 (I don't remember exactly), losing to a $6.00 dollars San Lotano Oval. Last year the Cohiba EL made it to 8, losing to a $7.00 Olivia V. Embarrassing! Yet people still defend the Cuban cigar industry as if Cuba is the only place the Sun shines on. What am I missing? In my opinion the only thing Cuba had over the rest of the world were the world renown cigar blenders and torcedores, but since Fidel forced them all to leave and seek political refuge in Nicaragua, Dominican Rep., Honduras and the USA, they don't even have that anymore. Can some please enlighten me?


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## crgcpro (Jul 1, 2012)

Cuban soil is unique. There isn't any other place that in the world like it. Nicarauga is the closest but it's still very different. Anyone that thinks Cuban cigars are overrated haven't smoked PSD4's, HdM Le Hoyo line or Epicure line, Boli RC or BF, VR Unico, SCdLH El Principe, HU 46 and Sir Winston, and a ton of other great cigars from the Island when they're "on".

Pro


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## HTML5 Gordon (Jan 5, 2013)

Oh no. This one is going to get interesting... 

Honestly, I chalk a lot of it up to romanticism, and the fact that they are "difficult" to get. While I LOVE some CCs, I too think that the Nica cigars have definitely gotten to a point where many are much better than some of the "run of the mill" CCs, and some compete favorably with the better CCs. Of course, this is all up to one's personal tastes, but I do laugh inside a little when I see people just wholesale discredit all non CC cigars without even trying them. 

I think many would be surprised if they gave some of the current non CC offerings a fair shot.


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## Packerjh (Nov 29, 2009)

It's like asking why sex with a supermodel is better than the girl next door....um, because its a supermodel!


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## crgcpro (Jul 1, 2012)

I enjoy cigars from almost everywhere. Of my current collection of around 3,500 only about 1,000 are Cuban.

Are all Cubans as good as the top lines from Tatuaje, Viaje, Liga Privada, or Fuente? Not to me but the Cubans I listed in the previous post are as good or better to me than anything else that I have ever smoked. BTW I smoke 6-10 a day and have done so for the past 20 years and I don't own any "Dog Rockets" LOL.


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## HTML5 Gordon (Jan 5, 2013)

crgcpro said:


> I enjoy cigars from almost everywhere. Of my current collection of around 3,500 only about 1,000 are Cuban.
> 
> Are all Cubans as good as the top lines from Tatuaje, Viaje, Liga Privada, or Fuente? Not to me but the Cubans I listed in the previous post are as good or better to me than anything else that I have ever smoked. BTW I smoke 6-10 a day and have done so for the past 20 years and I don't own any "Dog Rockets" LOL.


Well put.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

crgcpro said:


> Anyone that thinks Cuban cigars are overrated


I didn't say that Cubans are overrated, just overhyped. And although you say that Cuban soils are unique, they are part of the same geological formation that crated all the Caribbean islands. The difference in soils within each island is scientifically negligible. What is unique, is the character a type of crop of any kind develops in any given soil. That is why I don't buy in the whole Cuban seed thing because every time you take a certain plant away from its environment, its not going to produce the same resulting fruit or in this case leafs. This is also why it takes a few years before those plants are able to acclimate to their new environment and produce a good crop again. Keep these words in mind when a Mexican tobacco cigar is going to win first place in the future.

But that's not the direction I want this thread to go in. I'm more interested in understanding why people think Cuban cigars are better. There's no question that there's going to be differences, but blind test after blind test proves that Nicaraguan Tobacco is superior to Cuban tobacco in flavor profile and smoothness.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

HTML5 Gordon said:


> Oh no. This one is going to get interesting... .


Leave it to me to start an argument! lol. No reason to get violent and call me names though.


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## jazzboypro (Jul 30, 2012)

According to Cigar Aficionado magazine here are the ranking of Cuban Cigars from 2004 to 2012

2012 #2 
2011 #8 
2010 #1 
2009 #2 
2008 #6 
2007 #3 
2006 #1 
2005 #2 
2004 #3

As for other sources, i'd be suspicious if they don't have a Cuban Cigar in their top 25 cigars of any year (even in the first top ten).


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## crgcpro (Jul 1, 2012)

You have to discount ratings from CA. There are advertising dollars that go into those rankings and with the amount of dog rockets that have been in the top 25 for the past few years, it is pretty evident. There isn't soil anywhere else in the world that produces cigars with "the Cuban Twang". Nicarauga is the closest but it's still light years away. This isn't conjecture like whether or not we like them, this is a fact.

As far as are they better? That depends on whether you want that Twang. There are many "way overpriced" Cubans and there are many $4-$9 Cubans that are much better to ME than $12-$20 smokes from the rest of the world.


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

....just over-hyped rolled rotting leaves...:smoke2:


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

jazzboypro said:


> According to Cigar Aficionado magazine here are the ranking of Cuban Cigars from 2004 to 2012
> 
> 2012 #2
> 2011 #8
> ...


I based mine on Cigar Journal. Not sure if their biased, but I've never disagreed with them too much.


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## HIM (Sep 12, 2012)

Opening a can of worms with this one.

To be fair don't they rate the current vintage when they rate Cubans for top 25 cigars of the year? Most of those smokes aren't even in their prime yet. To answer your question though, the thought that all CCs are a great cigar is probably because most people aren't supposed to have them. But the thought that the great ones are the best in the world is because many, not all, seasoned smokers come to that conclusion from years of experience.


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## jazzboypro (Jul 30, 2012)

HIM said:


> Opening a can of worms with this one.
> 
> most people aren't supposed to have them.


They sure are legal in Canada, i believe they are also legal in Europe. I would not say that most people aren't supposed to have them. Are there any other countries beside the US for which it is illegal to buy or posses Cuban Cigars ?


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Regiampiero said:


> Don't get me wrong. Living in Detroit, I'm the first to cross the river to go to Windsor and get my self a Bolivar Belicoso, but why do so many people think that because a cigar is a Cuban, it automatically is a fine cigar? Year after year, we see lists of top 25 cigars from many different sources, and for the most part Cubans never even make the top five. A couple of years ago, the $100 behike made all the way to 10-13 (I don't remember exactly), losing to a $6.00 dollars San Lotano Oval. Last year the Cohiba EL made it to 8, losing to a $7.00 Olivia V. Embarrassing! Yet people still defend the Cuban cigar industry as if Cuba is the only place the Sun shines on. What am I missing? In my opinion the only thing Cuba had over the rest of the world were the world renown cigar blenders and torcedores, but since Fidel forced them all to leave and seek political refuge in Nicaragua, Dominican Rep., Honduras and the USA, they don't even have that anymore. Can some please enlighten me?


Sorry i don't understand the question. Enlighten you as far as what?
If you as you say have gone over the boarder and smoked the real deal. And you don't get it,consider yourself lucky as you just saved a ton of cash!
I wish i could smoke Philies Blunts and get the same satisfaction as a Cuban. But that is just not possible. To answer your question as best as i can. Because remember taste is subjective always smoke what you like. Maybe those who do the rating have either billy Goat Palate. Or they have a hidden agenda that really is not so hidden.
What better way to market these cigars than a great rating. Especially since the money they spend to advertise in your magazine pays their bills.


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## HIM (Sep 12, 2012)

jazzboypro said:


> They sure are legal in Canada, i believe they are also legal in Europe. I would not say that most people aren't supposed to have them. Are there any other countries beside the US for which it is illegal to buy or posses Cuban Cigars ?


Let me correct myself.. I shouldn't have said most. I meant the US since as recorded in 2006, the US accounted for about 44% of the global cigar sales. I doubt those numbers have gone down since either.


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

This comes up from time to time and it is usually by folks that are new to CC or cigars as a whole.
Frankly I don't know many FOGs that push and agenda one way or the other..
Admittedly, I am a Cuban Cigar snob.....My buddy was an Anejo snob.....
until he tried a PSD4, CoRo, Famosos and connie 1.....He is now a CC snob.
I seldom hear of stories that go the other way....but to think that adults really care what others smoke is silly
and I think this argument/question is raised more out of ignorance than anything else......no disrespect intended....


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## avitti (Jun 4, 2011)

Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear.Buy the cigars and judge for yourself-don't be swayed by magazines that carry paid advertisements.The only hype that matters is the one you bestow upon a cigar.


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## CeeGar (Feb 19, 2007)

I go completely by what suits my palate. After 20+ years of smoking different cigars, I've learned what I like. That just happens to be Cuban cigars. I don't really care what anyone else smokes.


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

I don't know a lot about a lot but I seldom go to my humidor s thinking " man, I love an opus right now, or a LP or an Anejo". I do however, find myself often saying "damn,I'd love a boli PC right now"


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## BMack (Dec 8, 2010)

They are horrible and I'd never smoke one myself. Also, I believe everything the government does is for my best interests and I believe that Kim Kardashian will be a great mother.


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

So funny how we think alike when it comes to Kim Kardashian.


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## GoJohnnyGo (Nov 19, 2011)

Regiampiero said:


> I didn't say that Cubans are overrated, just overhyped. And although you say that Cuban soils are unique, they are part of the same geological formation that crated all the Caribbean islands. The difference in soils within each island is scientifically negligible. What is unique, is the character a type of crop of any kind develops in any given soil. That is why I don't buy in the whole Cuban seed thing because every time you take a certain plant away from its environment, its not going to produce the same resulting fruit or in this case leafs. This is also why it takes a few years before those plants are able to acclimate to their new environment and produce a good crop again. Keep these words in mind when a Mexican tobacco cigar is going to win first place in the future.
> 
> But that's not the direction I want this thread to go in. I'm more interested in understanding why people think Cuban cigars are better. There's no question that there's going to be differences, but blind test after blind test proves that Nicaraguan Tobacco is superior to Cuban tobacco in flavor profile and smoothness.


Geologic formations don't create geologic features. Geologic features are are created by geologic events. Geologic formations are something entirely different. Why do you say the soil differences are scientifically negligible? Im not trying to be pretentious but soil science is a very complex subject and your making a very bold yet general statement here. Is it an assumption or do you have some actual data you can show?

I don't think cc's are overhyped. I think that nc's with big flashy boxes and shiny bands are overhyped. Most people who smoke a lot of cigars will agree that Cubans are simply different than non Cubans. Deciding which is best is a matter of personal taste. If it seems that more people prefer one type over the other it's probably because that type is, to most people, actually better. Not just overhyped.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

"Making cigars anywhere else in the world is an attempt to reinvent the wheel,
Cubans are the wheel"- Unknown


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## john_007 (Nov 4, 2011)

From your post you seem to have already made up your mind on which cigars you prefer, and from where you prefer them. What I do know is that since my first cc purchase I have yet to buy any nc That is over a year ago now. If anything I got sick of the marketing machine that is NC cigars, talk about over hyped. I have never had an opus X that I enjoyed more than a PL pantela. That's my taste not your taste and the great thing is we can both smoke what we enjoy and shouldn't have to prove one is better than the other. If you like them smoke them.


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

First off who said they are over-hyped? 

I've been smoking for a while and, like most, probably started off with nc's, since that was what was available. I enjoyed them for years and still do on occasion. Friends on here sent me some cc's as a gift and they had a decent amount of age on them. The smoking experience was completely unlike anything I'd had before. Luckily I get sent quite a few so I was able to try different brands and different sizes. Heck after all these years I'm still finding ones I like and dislike.
There's point one.....there are cc's that some like and some don't. So far I know I'm not a big fan of PL's or the scdlh la punta and there are others. Not every cigar will appeal to all. It's life and we're different.

The cigars I received sent me on a journey to find out how to acquire them. Many on here were helpful (after you get to know some of them) and I found good sources. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that in many, many cases the cc's were cheaper than nc's! Some are more expensive it's true but most regular production that hits my target price of 5-7 are available. Not only was I able to order, for the most part I had my boxes in within 5-7 days. That's pretty comparable to getting something in from any US online retailer.
There's point two....who's stopping me from buying them? Since I have many sources I can get them from they are not 'forbidden' and readily available. The mystery is no longer there, I simply found out that I enjoy the flavor of the cc's.

After acquiring said boxes imagine my surprise that I didn't care for some of them...shock! That was after the normal 'let them rest for 8 weeks'. I was disappointed that some I had tried before were not as good as the ones I just got. BOTL on here stepped in and gently informed me that cc's need to age to knock the 'roughness' off of them. So, year or so later I was happily surprised that the cc's were now as good as I remember.
Point three....most cc's need age to really shine. You'll see talk about years '10-'12 being pretty good young and I happen to agree but they still benefit from years of age before popping, in a good way. You try one in a lcdh and it may truly suck but a few years...maybe not. I have heard that fresh off the rollers table are incredible but sadly I doubt I'll get to try one out that way.

You think they're over hyped. Great go ahead and think that. I don't think they are and neither one of us is probably right.
Best thing that comes out of this is there is one less customer for the cigars I love, which leaves more for the rest of us.


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## Cadillac (Feb 28, 2007)

Regiampiero said:


> Don't get me wrong. Living in Detroit, I'm the first to cross the river to go to Windsor and get my self a Bolivar Belicoso, but why do so many people think that because a cigar is a Cuban, it automatically is a fine cigar? Year after year, we see lists of top 25 cigars from many different sources, and for the most part Cubans never even make the top five. A couple of years ago, the $100 behike made all the way to 10-13 (I don't remember exactly), losing to a $6.00 dollars San Lotano Oval. Last year the Cohiba EL made it to 8, losing to a $7.00 Olivia V. Embarrassing! Yet people still defend the Cuban cigar industry as if Cuba is the only place the Sun shines on. What am I missing? In my opinion the only thing Cuba had over the rest of the world were the world renown cigar blenders and torcedores, but since Fidel forced them all to leave and seek political refuge in Nicaragua, Dominican Rep., Honduras and the USA, they don't even have that anymore. Can some please enlighten me?


Okay, I've heard (or read) this saying before, so excuse me if I butcher it but;

It's like sleeping with a virgin, or a hooker. Sometimes you want something really special, and... sometimes..... Well, you get the picture.


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## ezlevor (Oct 29, 2012)

For me, they are hyped up because I cannot get them. I've smoked one CC, a monte #2 , years ago when I was really green in the hobby. It happened to be too strong for me, and I smoked it probably too hot, after a light meal, and it knocked me down a few pegs with what I thought I could handle... but the alure is still there for me to try more. Why? Because they're supposed to be great cigars, and I can't just walk down to the local shop and pick some up. If I smoked 2 cigars, one was a NC and one was a CC, and the price point, flavor profiles, and my overall enjoyment of the two were dead even, I'd pick the CC 99% of the time. That's just how it is.


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## JG5000 (Dec 28, 2012)

Any cigar can be over hyped in peoples minds for different reasons, it doesn't matter the origin of the cigar. 

There are great CC and NC, I would never limit myself by only choosing one or the other but everyone has the right to smoke what they like.

Generally, I have found CC a little inconsistent lately, that being said I have had some that were fantastic and will continue to smoke them. If you have the patience to age cigars for many years you will probably be rewarded with CC. As of right now, I have a hard time sitting on cigars for 5 years before they are great.


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## Perfecto Dave (Nov 24, 2009)

How was someone [Giampiero] with only 50+ posts able to start a thread here seemingly wanting to start such a ruckus?


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## abhoe (Feb 29, 2012)

To me the flavor profile of the PSD4's and Boli's I've had has all the complexity but without overpowering me with raw intensity. It's a profile I truly enjoy every time I light it up. As far as scientifically negligible, you got a source? Personally I'd like to see some genomic meta-analysis of the microbiota inhabiting Cuban soil vs Nicaraguan soil. Plants exist in a complex balance with other soil organisms and usually depend on them to fix key components of their metabolic pathways.


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## thebigk (Jan 16, 2013)

now I have never had a real cc but I think that most of the htf nc are over-hyped I live in the middle of nowhere Mn. Trying to find any lp unico or opus it's easier to find crack but I see lot le or Regional Release cc
on many sites or even custom rolled try to find any nc on the web. One day I will place an order and probability never look back


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> I wish i could smoke Philies Blunts and get the same satisfaction as a Cuban.


This is what came to mind for me. I've had NCs I liked and NCs I didn't like. For example, I really liked the Anejo Sharks, but thought the 5Vegas Golds were horrible. You can see the problem; I have champagne tastes and a beer budget, as they say. However, I can pick up a $6 Cuban (a Monte 4 comes to mind) and enjoy it much more than an average $6 NC. Maybe my tastes are odd, but I'm stuck with 'em. So the bottom line is, I prefer Cubans because I'm cheap.


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

1. Because they are very hard to obtain. (in the US)

2. Because Cuba is where it all started.

Personally, I try to just call my cigars ...well... Cigars. Not CCs or NCs or puros or whatever. If the cigar is good, then it is good. Doesn't matter to me where they came from. Cuba makes great Cigars. But so do the other Cigar Producing Countries. Cuba makes terrible cigars, but this is also true with Nicaragua, US, Honduras, etc.


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## KaChong (Jan 1, 2012)

As the venerable Richard Feynman asks: What do you care what other people think? 

Myself, I read reviews and listen to my friends impressions to figure out what new things I want to try, but on the whole I've got cheap NCs and CCs in my fridge in the regular rotation. My current favorite so far is a Cohiba Robusto with a LP Toro chaser. The pair of those cigars with a few good slugs of whiskey make for a delicious night of smoking. 

Find out what you like and get more of it. With great anticipation, I lit up an Uppman 46 that was about 8yrs old. My first Uppmann and I was pretty badly underwhelmed. A big stick of meh that didn't appeal to me. There are a lot of fans of that stick. Do I consider Uppmann overhyped? No, it plug, it was a decent roll. It just didn't say things that I felt like hearing so it wasn't good for me. Lots of smokers feel LP is pretty overhyped. 

Sometimes when the hype hits you just right, it can improve your enjoyment of a cigar. As much as I like to think of myself as a rational individual, impervious to hype, I do have a few Behikes. I got a bunch of custom roll CCs aging away. Does the prestige of these sticks affect my judgement? Of course, but I still like it and as far as I'm concerned, it's in the pursuit of happiness.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

> 1. Because they are very hard to obtain. (in the US)


I know I am not a US resident but I would challenge that. The US is the second biggest market for Cuban cigars as a country after Spain so it really cannot be that hard, just depends on what you know.


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

Cigar Guru said:


> 1. Because they are very hard to obtain. (in the US)
> 
> 2. Because Cuba is where it all started.
> 
> Personally, I try to just call my cigars ...well... Cigars. Not CCs or NCs or puros or whatever. If the cigar is good, then it is good. Doesn't matter to me where they came from. Cuba makes great Cigars. But so do the other Cigar Producing Countries. Cuba makes terrible cigars, but this is also true with Nicaragua, US, Honduras, etc.


They are NOT very hard to obtain.


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## HTML5 Gordon (Jan 5, 2013)

Tashaz said:


> I know I am not a US resident but I would challenge that. The US is the second biggest market for Cuban cigars as a country after Spain so it really cannot be that hard, just depends on what you know.





piperdown said:


> They are NOT very hard to obtain.


Agreed. CCs are actually easier to obtain than the HTF NC cigars! 

This is exactly why in my post on this thread I put that they are "difficult" to get in quotes - they are actually very easy to get, but many people seem to like the "forbidden" aspect of them. For some reason most people (even cigar smokers, but I'm guessing they are NC only smokers) still think they are difficult to get.

Personally, I just like to smoke them.  :smoke:


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## ten08 (Sep 8, 2011)

Perfecto Dave said:


> How was someone [Giampiero] with only 50+ posts able to start a thread here seemingly wanting to start such a ruckus?


Umm, yeah! Not to say, "Who let this guy in here?" but technically, "How was this possible?"


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

piperdown said:


> They are NOT very hard to obtain.


Well, that's what I heard from some blokes there. Sorry for the wrong information.


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

ten08 said:


> Umm, yeah! Not to say, "Who let this guy in here?" but technically, "How was this possible?"


I suspect the thread was originally started in General Discussions and moved here by mistake.
I am sure it will be fixed ASAP


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## Jordan23 (May 25, 2012)

Taste is subjective. So you may find them overhyped.

Thanks to others here, I've had the pleasure of smoking some Cubans that were mesmerizing and bordering on heavenly at times. Try an 898 with some years on it. But to be fair the Masters by Carlos Torano has me rapt every time I smoke one.

To me Cubans are not overhyped because MY taste buds say so. To me a fresh Boli PC, or a Trini Robusto Extra are incredible. I do love them and feel fortunate that people here basically "put me on" to them. I would now consider my collection incomplete with out Cubans. I think people find Cubans overhyped because 1.) They smoke em fresh-though I like some fresh. 2.) Humidity too high. 3.) They had such high expectations to begin with that no cigar could please them or 4.) Their palate says its overhyped and thats fine.

I dont judge cigars as overhyped by countries. I feel certain cigars period are overhyped TO ME BASED PURELY ON MY SUBJECTIVE TASTE. For instance, I would find my samplings of Montecristo #2 (Because they produce so many and they suffer from inconsistency-I've only had two) and LP 9s to be rather blah. Those are two cigars that some people on this board love based on their palate.

I concern myself with my palate because I'm smoking. I ordered four boxes of cigars last week and only one (Oliva G maddies-which I feel are underrated) did not come from the little island.

Smoke what you like, peace.


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## BurnOne (Feb 26, 2012)

I have only had 2 Cuban cigars so take that into consideration. They both were great the Monte #3 or 4 and a Partagas serie D?. something like that.
They both wanted to fall apart the wrappers were ultra thin. but they had seen some hard times being bumped around in the humi while i was saving them for a special occasion.
That was MY mistake shoulda smoked them sooner.
I over hyped them in my own mind by thinking they were anything more than great cigars.

also about the soil thing. I am surprised that they haven't recreated the Cuban growing conditions scientifically yet. Seems like they could this day and age.


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## Milhouse (Oct 22, 2011)

To me each country has a pretty unique profile. That floral cubanesque flavor is something that is unique to CC. IMO, dollar for dollar, CC is impossible to beat. Take a Monte 2, it's probably cheaper than whatever the newest hard to find Tatuaje goes for. A PSD 4 goes for less than almost anything my B&M sells (damn ny taxes)

Full disclosure (my favorite smoke is a NC, Anejo 46)


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## fuente~fuente (May 11, 2009)

You have to dance around with your questions & answers with this subject. 

I think they are naturally intriguing to most people, especially people who aren't true cigar smokers, due to the mystique left by the embargo. They are not "difficult" to get, but you do have to take the scenic route to obtain them, use the secret handshake etc. Experienced smokers I've found are a little less moved by the above. A good cigar is a good cigar regardless of where it's grown or who it's made by even. The same can be said for some more attainable cigars here... There was the Fuente craze in the 90's, the Tatuaje craze, & now the Liga frenzy.

I love cigars period, from all regions & countries. I may just have a humidor full of contraband. I get into it when I feel the mood to smoke that profile, just like when I'm in the mood to smoke something else, whether it be Maduro, creamy , peppery, etc...

The thing is that, it's easy to pick out differences in CC's due to them being _puro's_. (All the tobacco being from one country)
But if I separated a walk-in humidor & told somone this wall is all Dominican puro's, this wall here is all Honduran puro's, this wall over here is all Nicaraguan puro's, & finally this wall is all Cuban's.... _Well..._ You could say that any region has it's own distinct taste & profile.

So while I will say most of the time _"Nothing tastes like a Cuban."_, I will not say the best cigars come from there. _That is up to the individual._ I've smoked good one's & I've smoked bad ones, just like everything else. :thumb:

Balance is the key to life Daniel San... I will say that a Bolivar Belicoso Fino, a Party Short, & a RyJ Short Churchill are on on my faves list.


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

There are over hyped cigars. They come out every year around Halloween.

They come in funny looking boxes.

They sell out fast, and then are re sold on the secondary market for a 50% markup.

Mostly to relative novices who like the cool packaging and perceived rarity.

They most certainly do NOT come out of Havana...


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## Andrewdk (Feb 3, 2011)

Some very well thought out posts here. A refreshing change actually.


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## JG5000 (Dec 28, 2012)

Andrewdk said:


> Some very well thought out posts here. A refreshing change actually.


Some biased posts from both sides but most are fair.

Non Cubans suck!


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## thegunslinger (Aug 3, 2012)

Most of the hype, in the US anyway, is simply because of the embargo and the difficulty in getting them. Anything you can't readily get your hands on or is illegal to possess is going to carry with it a mystique. On top of that all, Cubans have long been billed as the best cigars in the world. (rightfully or wrongly is each individual's opinion) They are to cigars as French Bordeaux is to red wine, at least as a common belief if not truth.


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## UTKhodgy (Jan 4, 2012)

I think some US occasional cigar smokers would find Cubans overhyped because the twang can create a taste profile much different than what the occasional smoker might expect from an expensive smoke. You might have someone used to smoking six or seven cigars a year that is used to a rich cocoa smoothness of a Padron anni that doesn't enjoy the barnyardy taste you can detect from a Cuban -- especially if the occasional smoker comes across a young stick still in the sick period.


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## Bunner (Apr 5, 2011)

Living in Canada we have access to cuban cigars more easily than most (here on puff). Albiet rather expensive compared to their NC counter parts. I personally have found that it is much easier to pick up on nearly any cuban cigar (long fillers only) and enjoy it. I find with some NCs they have to be torwards the premium end of the spectrum before I find them ok.

They way I look at is, that you can't compare CCs to NCs since they are pretty different cigars. however, both have great stick in their own right. so smoke what you like not what others tell you to like (or sample a lot until you find what you like). Thats my adage.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

BMack said:


> They are horrible and I'd never smoke one myself. Also, I believe everything the government does is for my best interests and I believe that Kim Kardashian will be a great mother.


LMAO!


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

bpegler said:


> There are over hyped cigars. They come out every year around Halloween.
> 
> They come in funny looking boxes.
> 
> ...


_THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

Finally...I'm able to post on my own thread, so bare with me its going to be a long one!

Over the years I've read many articles regarding Cuban tobacco and various similar regions around the world like this one:

https://www.cigarworld.com/education/cigars-101/non-cuban-vs.-cuban-cigars/

After reading articles such as this and combining it with personal experience, I've come to the conclusion that cc are not good completely based on taste. I found that perception plays a major role in the appreciation of a cc. Like the article says. Cuban cigars used to be the best of the best because of all the experienced tobacco farmers, blenders, makers and most importantly premium tobacco. However since the rise of Fidel's regime, most of the best in the business bolted from the island. These people brought all their know-how and quality product they had to every part of the world, and because of that we now have more quality cigars than ever before. This has created a resurgence in cigar smoking for the past 20 to 30 years because (now more than ever) people are able to find a cigar that is suited for them. This is due to the fact that most nc are blended with tobaccos from many different regions and countries, whereas cc are still (To the best of my knowledge) puros.

I bet that if growers and blenders were interested to do so, they could recreate the cc "twang" everybody seems to enjoy. But why? I think they don't really care of recreating the cc because of its need to age for 5+ years to get rid of the ammonia taste! If anything, I believe that they were able to create (By design) a superior crop that is far more complex and balanced than its predecessor. And really...why should they go backwards? They are moving forward with all these new blend has I'm sure they would have anyways if they would have remained in Cuba. You can't tell me that if Cuba wouldn't have gone trough the hell they did, the cigar industry would have stayed the same. Whit the arrival of a new generation, there's always a brake from tradition.

This is why I created an experiment (Which lead me to create this thread) that would test how people perceive cc and why. In the past year I've given what I called "Fresh Rolled CC I picked up in Canada...shhh" to a group of veteran smokers (20+ years) when in reality they were nicaraguan ligeros. Their opinion was "It's not the best cc they've smoked, but its definitely in their top 10". I later (2 months or so) gave them the same cigar (Not knowing they've smoked it before), but this time telling them what it really was. Their reaction on the second time around was "I liked it, but its no Cuban". I then concluded that most of what they thought of the cigar was mostly preconceived when it came to the fake cc, but actual tasting of the cigar when they thought it was nc. A sort of Pavlov's Doug reaction. I ring the bell and they salivate.

In conclusion...Most people tend to taste Cubans mostly with their heads, but nc with their palate. I call it "CC Palate Syndrome". This is why I wanted to gauge people's reactions in this forum. Sadly it seems that most people do. Very few people were actually able to argue what specifically they enjoy out of a cc other than what others have told them to be the "Cuban twang". I've smoked my share of Cubans, and I've enjoy them equally as some other premiums nc. I've never seemed to be able to separate this "twang" people are so keen on.

In short. I believe that if people were to smoke 10 cc and 10 nc in a blind taste, they wouldn't be able to tell which ones were Cubans and which were not based on the "twang" alone. If you don't believe me, try the experiment I did with some of your cigar buddies and post the results in this thread.

Thank you all for being such good sports about a very controversial topic! :smoke2:

P.S. For the record, I think tatuaje monsters are over-hyped (Not overrated) as well Bob!


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

I responded earlier but I guess I fail to understand why people continue to think Cubans are overrated.
I just don't get it.
Spent the past 20 years smoking on and off with non-cc's and some are very good, but once trying cc's they really are the top of the cigar chain.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

Not to be a smart a$$ or adversarial but I would suggest trying that experiment with some more experienced/knowledgeable smokers. I think you may find you get a different set of results. :2


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

Habanolover said:


> Not to be a smart a$$ or adversarial but I would suggest trying that experiment with some more experienced/knowledgeable smokers. I think you may find you get a different set of results. :2


Its OK if you want to be skeptical, but I can assure you that these are seasoned veterans that have over 500 cc in their humidors. In fact, they are my major source of cc.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

Well I wouldn't consider myself a seasoned veteran but I have *WAY* more than 500 in my coolers. There have been many blind tastings done here over the years. Some have leaned one way and some the other. Usually the biggest determining factor is the experience level of the one doing the tasting.

I agree with you about many great cigar people leaving Cuba. They even brought some seeds and a lot of knowledge with them. One thing they could not bring was the soil.


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

A blind test test was conducted here on Puff using veteran smokers.
The results were in favor of identifying cc's versus non-cc's.
I will also point out this type of blind taste test has been conducted multiple times.
When experience BOTL were involved they correctly identified the cc's.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

Habanolover said:


> ...I agree with you about many great cigar people leaving Cuba. They even brought some seeds and a lot of knowledge with them. One thing they could not bring was the soil.


I agree. That is why a cuban will always be a cuban. I just think people need to approach each cigar with an open mind and that's where I was trying to go with this thread, but since I wasn't able to post for a few days it took a turn for the CC vs NC road.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

piperdown said:


> A blind test test was conducted here on Puff using veteran smokers.
> The results were in favor of identifying cc's versus non-cc's.
> I will also point out this type of blind taste test has been conducted multiple times.
> When experience BOTL were involved they correctly identified the cc's.


What does "in favor" mean, and could you point me to the thread if is still available? I need to keep my self busy reading before I open another can of worms.

I bet that these blind test were done by people that live and bread cigars though. That is why I said *most* people wouldn't be able to.


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

Regiampiero said:


> What does "in favor" mean, and could you point me to the thread if is still available? I need to keep my self busy reading before I open another can of worms.
> 
> I bet that these blind test were done by people that live and bread cigars though. That is why I said *most* people wouldn't be able to.


Should still be available. Member Starbucks initiated it if I remember correctly.
No offense but how many cigars one has is a poor indication of how veteran someone is.
I'm easily pass 500 and have smoked more than that but am still a novice.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

No problems brother. :tu

I smoke cigars from many countries but the ones that hit my wheelhouse are Cuban and Nicaraguan. I don't find too many of the "Cuban only" crowd saying many negative things about the cigars from other countries. I find that most of the time it is quite the opposite, the non-Cuban guys are sometimes pretty quick to try and talk down the Cuban cigars. Just keep in mind that there is a reason why Cuban cigars outsell non-Cuban cigars in places where they are both freely available.

I also want to thank you on the very civil conversation. These threads have usually taken a turn for the worse at this point.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

piperdown said:


> ...No offense but how many cigars one has is a poor indication of how veteran someone is.
> I'm easily pass 500 and have smoked more than that but am still a novice.


True, but I wouldn't consider you a novice. Maybe not an expert, but definitely not a novice!

Has for the 500, I was referring to the rough count of Cubans. They have well over 2000 sticks in their cabinets. Here in Detroit, there really isn't a point in staking up with cc since we can just cross the river and smoke all the cc we want without needing to age them ourselves. Also it gives us a reason to go heat an Italian Pizza, which is more hard to come by than a cc.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

Habanolover said:


> ...I also want to thank you on the very civil conversation. These threads have usually taken a turn for the worse at this point.


Really?! So far I've had nothing but good experiences with the people here, and I hope I'm not giving anyone any grief with this topic. I just thought it would be insightful to talk about cc, not inflammatory. If anyone feels like the topic is too antagonistic, please let me know. I won't mind if it gets deleted because at the end of the day its supposed to be fun.


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## protekk (Oct 18, 2010)

Heres the link to the results page of the Blind Taste test that Starbuck hosted. He used a QDO for CC and an Quesada Espana for the NC. The testers got over 80% correct. Pretty interesting:

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...55-blind-taste-test-thread-discussion-15.html


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

protekk said:


> Heres the link to the results page of the Blind Taste test that Starbuck hosted. He used a QDO for CC and an Quesada Espana for the NC. The testers got over 80% correct. Pretty interesting:
> 
> http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...55-blind-taste-test-thread-discussion-15.html


That was a lot of fun just went back and read the thread!


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

protekk said:


> Heres the link to the results page of the Blind Taste test that Starbuck hosted. He used a QDO for CC and an Quesada Espana for the NC. The testers got over 80% correct. Pretty interesting:
> 
> http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...55-blind-taste-test-thread-discussion-15.html


Thanks for digging that up Mike.
I also forgot about this thread http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/habanos-discussion/276129-search-twang-2.html

Interesting reads, both of them.


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## protekk (Oct 18, 2010)

piperdown said:


> I also forgot about this thread http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/habanos-discussion/276129-search-twang-2.html


Just got sucked into that one for a bit as I was'nt on here when it was done.


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

A couple of thoughts.
There are no CCs. There are Havanas.
2,000 Havanas isn't a lot, not really. Just a solid mid tier collection.
Canada is a terrible source for any cigar, because their taxes are exorbitant.

I simply disagree with the premise that Havanas are over hyped. Because there is virtually no advertisement in the USA, hype is difficult to initiate. I gave a rather obvious example of cigar hype and marketing. Those cigars that are marketed through packaging and trading cards. That stuff is really silly, imho.

I personally believe that everyone should smoke what they like.

I smoke what I love.

No hype, just great cigars.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> That was a lot of fun just went back and read the thread!


I just finished reading this thread. Although David did a really good job, I don't think it was to prove anything other than its fun to experiment. I thought he organized the whole thing very well and he was very clear on how he wanted the test to be approached. Also very smart to remove the cap before shipping.

The only flaw I can point out in this blind test is the number of cigars that where tested. Since there were only two cigars, the probability someone randomly guessed correctly was 50%. Hardly conclusive IMO. Not saying most people got lucky. I just wouldn't use these results as evidence for anything, given that 2 of 9 seasoned smokers got a 50-50 answer wrong. I would like to see the same exact blind test, but with one Cuban in a group of ten cigars. Not necessarily the same sizes or wrappers would be required, although that would help.


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## KcJason1 (Oct 20, 2010)

Regiampiero said:


> What does "in favor" mean, and could you point me to the thread if is still available? I need to keep my self busy reading before I open another can of worms.
> 
> I bet that these blind test were done by people that live and bread cigars though. That is why I said *most* people wouldn't be able to.


Actually no they were not done by people who live and breed cigars. Their were complete CC noobs, middle of the road and some veterans.

each person recieved two cut and unbanded cigars. These cigars had the same wrapper shade and size. They were labeled 1 and 2. Then everyone had to smoke them and do blind reviews and make their guess which was CC and which was nc.
10 people participated. And 19/20 guesses were correct..


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## KcJason1 (Oct 20, 2010)

Regiampiero said:


> I just finished reading this thread. Although David did a really good job, I don't think it was to prove anything other than its fun to experiment. I thought he organized the whole thing very well and he was very clear on how he wanted the test to be approached. Also very smart to remove the cap before shipping.
> 
> The only flaw I can point out in this blind test is the number of cigars that where tested. Since there were only two cigars, the probability someone randomly guessed correctly was 50%. Hardly conclusive IMO. Not saying most people got lucky. I just wouldn't use these results as evidence for anything, given that 2 of 9 seasoned smokers got a 50-50 answer wrong. I would like to see the same exact blind test, but with one Cuban in a group of ten cigars. Not necessarily the same sizes or wrappers would be required, although that would help.


It would be too easy.. Havanas have a unique taste.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

piperdown said:


> ...When experience BOTL were involved they correctly identified the cc's.





KcJason1 said:


> Actually no they were not done by people who live and breed cigars. Their were complete CC noobs, middle of the road and some veterans.
> 
> each person recieved two cut and unbanded cigars. These cigars had the same wrapper shade and size. They were labeled 1 and 2. Then everyone had to smoke them and do blind reviews and make their guess which was CC and which was nc.
> 10 people participated. And 19/20 guesses were correct..


I was referring to the second part of Eric's question when I said "people that leave and breath cigars".

As far as being *"too easy"* to point out the single cc in a group of ten (by common smokers), lets just agree to disagree until we get hard data.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Regiampiero said:


> I just finished reading this thread. Although David did a really good job, I don't think it was to prove anything other than its fun to experiment. I thought he organized the whole thing very well and he was very clear on how he wanted the test to be approached. Also very smart to remove the cap before shipping.
> 
> The only flaw I can point out in this blind test is the number of cigars that where tested. Since there were only two cigars, the probability someone randomly guessed correctly was 50%. Hardly conclusive IMO. Not saying most people got lucky. I just wouldn't use these results as evidence for anything, given that 2 of 9 seasoned smokers got a 50-50 answer wrong. I would like to see the same exact blind test, but with one Cuban in a group of ten cigars. Not necessarily the same sizes or wrappers would be required, although that would help.


I disagree i think one Cuban in a group of ten cigars would make it like shooting fish in a barrel.
The one Cuban would really stick out.
You see the perfectly constructed Non Cubans would all compliment each other visually.
While as Bob says "the ugly red headed step child" God i love that line.
Would IMHO stick out like a sore thumb.
Besides it would be the only cigar after smoking the rest that would have that signature Cuban Twang once again making it even easier!


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## john_007 (Nov 4, 2011)

I don't understand topics such as these. Why do we need to try and prove this cigar gives more bang than that cigar and so on. This hobby is completely based on ones taste. Who is doing the hyping of said cigars someone's friends, HSA, who? I've never seen an add for a cuban cigar, but I can assure you my email is full of spam from other cigar companies. I truly believe I smoke CC because I enjoy them more, and I was tired of going to the B&M and being sold on some twenty dollar HTF piece of crap. I'm not trying to say there are not great cigars being made in various parts of the world I know there are as you can look through my post log and find a post I wrote about how an LP 9 was the best cigar I had as of that time but I'm getting away from my point wich is smoke what you want to smoke if its a back wood great if its a Havana great. Just enjoy!


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Regiampiero said:


> I would like to see the same exact blind test, but with one Cuban in a group of ten cigars. Not necessarily the same sizes or wrappers would be required, although that would help.


What are you waiting for? If you want to see that test then set it up.


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

Regiampiero said:


> I just finished reading this thread. Although David did a really good job, I don't think it was to prove anything other than its fun to experiment. I thought he organized the whole thing very well and he was very clear on how he wanted the test to be approached. Also very smart to remove the cap before shipping.
> 
> The only flaw I can point out in this blind test is the number of cigars that where tested. Since there were only two cigars, the probability someone randomly guessed correctly was 50%. Hardly conclusive IMO. Not saying most people got lucky. I just wouldn't use these results as evidence for anything, given that 2 of 9 seasoned smokers got a 50-50 answer wrong. I would like to see the same exact blind test, but with one Cuban in a group of ten cigars. Not necessarily the same sizes or wrappers would be required, although that would help.


Giampiero,
Respectfully,,,,,most guys that call this side of the forum home could easily identify the CC, and could tell the you marca.
That said, I also believe that the same folks would struggle to do the same for an NC.
Additionally, I think most of these guys could identify a cc for what is in there as much as for what is not .
This will mean more if you head down the path...


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## loulax07 (Dec 17, 2011)

Usually things are called over-hyped when they are hard to find, in this case Cubans bc they r illegal in the us. Then again bc Ligas are hard to find I have heard the same about them bc of their steep price tag. It's all in ones eyes and opinions. 
To me, I have tried hundreds of each type and to me nc's taste way better than CC's. but I wouldn't call either over-hyped bc if I want something that's rare I know I need to pay a pretty penny or go the extra mile for it. Plus I don't really listen to opinions and take them to heart, I go with my own experiences and decide for myself. 
This all comes back to taste. Perhaps when my palate gets even more refined or changes, ill prefer CC's over nc's.

Smoke what u enjoy, avoid what u don't like. Who cares what others say. Opinions are like a$$holes, everyone's got one.


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## Jordan23 (May 25, 2012)

asmartbull said:


> Giampiero,
> Respectfully,,,,,most guys that call this side of the forum home could easily identify the CC, and could tell the you marca.
> That said, I also believe that the same folks would struggle to do the same for an NC.
> Additionally, I think most of these guys could identify a cc for what is in there as much as for what is not .
> This will mean more if you head down the path...


I'm fairly new to Cubans myself. But in getting to know some of the habano lovers here, I believe they could do what Al said above easily. I couldn't because I don't have the background that they do. But I know about five of them off the top of my head who'd id bet could. If you think about it makes sense. Any nc I regularly smoke I believe I could easily identify because I've smoked so many. So if you think about the limited number of Cuban Marcas and some of our brothers/sister's experience here...I'd tend to bet on them.

As a side note, it is nice to see such a civil back and forth on this topic.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

Tashaz said:


> What are you waiting for? If you want to see that test then set it up.





loulax07 said:


> Usually things are called over-hyped when they are hard to find, in this case Cubans bc they r illegal in the us. Then again bc Ligas are hard to find I have heard the same about them bc of their steep price tag. It's all in ones eyes and opinions.
> To me, I have tried hundreds of each type and to me nc's taste way better than CC's. but I wouldn't call either over-hyped bc if I want something that's rare I know I need to pay a pretty penny or go the extra mile for it. Plus I don't really listen to opinions and take them to heart, I go with my own experiences and decide for myself.
> This all comes back to taste. Perhaps when my palate gets even more refined or changes, ill prefer CC's over nc's.
> 
> Smoke what u enjoy, avoid what u don't like. Who cares what others say. Opinions are like a$$holes, everyone's got one.





john_007 said:


> I don't understand topics such as these. Why do we need to try and prove this cigar gives more bang than that cigar and so on. This hobby is completely based on ones taste. Who is doing the hyping of said cigars someone's friends, HSA, who? I've never seen an add for a cuban cigar, but I can assure you my email is full of spam from other cigar companies. I truly believe I smoke CC because I enjoy them more, and I was tired of going to the B&M and being sold on some twenty dollar HTF piece of crap. I'm not trying to say there are not great cigars being made in various parts of the world I know there are as you can look through my post log and find a post I wrote about how an LP 9 was the best cigar I had as of that time but I'm getting away from my point wich is smoke what you want to smoke if its a back wood great if its a Havana great. Just enjoy!


(For Warren) I'm going to need a lot of time and prep. work to set-up the experiment I have in mind. Its going to be interesting to say the least. Its going to have to be a two or three part experiments, and I'm going to need a lot of stick!

(For all others) But getting back to the topic. I might have miss labeled this thread because people keep bringing up the same stuff. If you read carefully to what I have written, you would see that I'm not advocating, suggesting, or even stating that cc suck. I simply find it curious that when someone is told that their are about to smoke a Cuban, their entire perspective changes and there experience is therefore biased by the Cuban mystique. No where on this thread have I said cc aren't good. In fact, I mentioned I cross the border from time to time to go have one my self! So please refrain from posting about what you like and what you don't like, personal preferences, are cc better than nc and vice-versa. That is already been said countless times in many different threads and articles all over the web. 
I understand everybody is passionate about cc and cigars in general, and I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. I'm simply trying to figure out the psychological aspect of being told you're smoking a Cuban vs a Non-Cuban, and how that effects peoples judgment when rating the cigar.

I apologize for any confusion, but I see that we're spinning our wheels a bit. I respect everyone's opinions and taste preferences, and believe it or not, I share most of your opinions and preferences. I'm just trying to figure out what separates an objective opinion from a non-objective one when it comes to Cubans. Is it inexperience, the lure of doing something illegal, the fancy bands, or *the power of persuasion.*?


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## Perfecto Dave (Nov 24, 2009)

This could be one reason of over-hyperness..........almost every ad you read about a non CC rolled bundle of leaf, goes something like this...}

"The fine Cuban heritage of H. Upmann cigars lives on in this rich, full-bodied and aromatic edition. Blended with a hearty Ecuadorian Cubano wrapper that caps a savory, Nicaraguan broadleaf binder and a diverse combination of Dominican longfillers, H. Upmann cigars are an excellent selection for the cigar connoisseur who prefers 'old world' Cuban style flavor and aroma"

Smoking cigars isn't about contests of which, why, where, or how...etc. etc........For me, they are an adventure and about relaxing and enjoying down time. Every cigar smoked should be like laying on the beach of your own private Caribbean island....and certainly not alone!


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## CeeGar (Feb 19, 2007)

I'm sure that the mystique of cuban cigars plays a large part of the thought process for us Americans. But in my experience, that was only the case early on. I was fine smoking mainly nothing but NC's, until I started enjoying the flavors of a cuban cigar more and more. It was not something that I had in my mind to turn away from NC's. It just happened. As far as tasting, it's purely subjective. I was fooled in David's blind tasting. I was smoking two cigars that I had no history with. Most of the Cuban cigars that I have the most experience with are the marcas with a more robust profile. The Qdo was a very subtle cigar with a profile that I don't have much experience with and furthermore do not enjoy. On the other hand, the Quesada cigar had more of a profile that I would lean toward and tasted more like what I'm used to. As a result, I guessed wrong on identifying them. I have since gone back and tried several NC cigars that I used to smoke and none of them really stood up to the Cubans that I regularly smoke. The Quesada Espana was a real head-turner though, I'd be happy to smoke that cigar again. I will never rule out trying any cigar, regardless of origin. A good smoke is a good smoke! Sorry for the rambling, I'm on meds for a severe cold right now :wacko:


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## john_007 (Nov 4, 2011)

I think what you are getting at mostly refers to persons new to the hobby, or your if a cigar is around ill have one type of smokers. If I go to a herf I be brining Havanas, and once the guys hear that they all want to try one. Not because they think its better, or spend hours on a forum talking and researching about the. They want the CC because they know, or think its hard to get, has a mystic about it. I think I understand your question from that point, my thinking is I smoked cigars for years before trying my first Havana, and when I procured said CC I smoked them alone, no one around to say hey this is great it is a cuban, or the such. I feel like I made a very educated choice to move forward with out NC cigars, and thus my previous response and maybe that's why your getting some of the responses that you are.


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## StogieNinja (Jul 29, 2009)

Regiampiero said:


> ...why do so many people think that because a cigar is a Cuban, it automatically is a fine cigar? Year after year, we see lists of top 25 cigars from many different sources, and for the most part Cubans never even make the top five. A couple of years ago, the $100 behike made all the way to 10-13 (I don't remember exactly), losing to a $6.00 dollars San Lotano Oval. Last year the Cohiba EL made it to 8, losing to a $7.00 Olivia V. Embarrassing! Yet people still defend the Cuban cigar industry as if Cuba is the only place the Sun shines on. What am I missing? In my opinion the only thing Cuba had over the rest of the world were the world renown cigar blenders and torcedores, but since Fidel forced them all to leave and seek political refuge in Nicaragua, Dominican Rep., Honduras and the USA, they don't even have that anymore. Can some please enlighten me?


The reason you're getting the answers you are getting is because you started out by arguing (erroneously, in my opinion) that CCs aren't as good as NCs, tried using Cigar Aficionado's rankings to illustrate your point, stated that there was nothing special about Cubans, and then asked people to enlighten you. The pages of arguments about why CCs are as good or better than NCs were in direct reponse to your question. You made the claim they weren't special, so everyone chimed in. So if the guys here are spinning their wheels, it's because you asked them to.



Regiampiero said:


> I simply find it curious that when someone is told that their are about to smoke a Cuban, their entire perspective changes and there experience is therefore biased by the Cuban mystique. ...I'm simply trying to figure out the psychological aspect of being told you're smoking a Cuban vs a Non-Cuban, and how that effects peoples judgment when rating the cigar.
> 
> ...I see that we're spinning our wheels a bit. ...I'm just trying to figure out what separates an objective opinion from a non-objective one when it comes to Cubans. Is it inexperience, the lure of doing something illegal, the fancy bands, or the power of persuasion.?[/B]?


You've changed the question from what you originally asked, and frankly, the question as stated is kind of silly. It's obvious to everyone why noobs get excited to smoke CCs. They do so because of half a century of mystique, and the fact that most of the more experienced smokers, and even most guys like myself who consider themselves to barely be dipping our toes in the water, go on about how good CCs are and how they're just different than anything outside of Cuba. Which they are.

Combine "hard-to-find" (you know, for anyone who's not fortunate enough to live by the border) with being praised up by nearly all of the well-respected smokers out there, and it's obvious why new guys are so influenced in their opinion of CCs. So I think it's perfectly reasonable that new guys are excited to try them. Why should it be otherwise?

Surely you remember your first. Try and tell me you didn't have the same excitement.


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## Dio (Nov 17, 2012)

First I think you should know what kind of replies you are gonna get since it is the "Habanos Discussion forums". This is called selection bias because people coming here reading your post are more likely to be those who put CCs above NCs.

Second I don't think you can easily mark any cigar as "over-hyped" since preference for cigars is just subjective. To me if you love the cigar, cc or nc, and are not scared away by the price tag than that is your cigar. I have friends who only smoke CCs and those who purchase both. I even have couple friends who only smoke NCs not because they can not afford the CCs but because they do not like the "cuban twang".


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

Regiampiero said:


> Don't get me wrong. *Living in Detroit, I'm the first to cross the river to go to Windsor and get my self a Bolivar Belicoso, but why do so many people think that because a cigar is a Cuban, it automatically is a fine cigar? *Year after year, we see lists of top 25 cigars from many different sources, and for the most part Cubans never even make the top five. A couple of years ago, the $100 behike made all the way to 10-13 (I don't remember exactly), losing to a $6.00 dollars San Lotano Oval. Last year the Cohiba EL made it to 8, losing to a $7.00 Olivia V. Embarrassing! Yet people still defend the Cuban cigar industry as if Cuba is the only place the Sun shines on. What am I missing? In my opinion the only thing Cuba had over the rest of the world were the world renown cigar blenders and torcedores, but since Fidel forced them all to leave and seek political refuge in Nicaragua, Dominican Rep., Honduras and the USA, they don't even have that anymore. Can some please enlighten me?


I'm sorry, but if you try to quote me, you should at least do so in context. You take the initial part of what said (which was cc positive) out and starting to quote me were I was being argumentative, and you're calling me erroneous?!

And no...I didn't change my question. As you can see on the second sentence I'm still pondering on why most people think a cc is good simply because its Cuban! I Never said anything about good cc being bad or inferior to nc. The rest of the paragraph was devoted to explain why I believe that there's as good of tobacco outside Cuba as there's in Cuba (IMO), yet people still consider nc a second class citizen to cc. Also the rankings I used were from Cigar Journal, not Cigar Aficionado. Might want to read who is actually posting certain things when you read.

I'm fine whit anybody calling me an idiot for not agreeing with their taste buds (Even if in this case I do agree), everyone has an opinion and I can respect that. However, I'm not fine when people put words in my mouth or use half truths to discredit my opinions.



Aninjaforallseasons said:


> The reason you're getting the answers you are getting is because you started out by arguing (erroneously, in my opinion) that CCs aren't as good as NCs, tried using Cigar Aficionado's rankings to illustrate your point, stated that there was nothing special about Cubans, and then asked people to enlighten you. The pages of arguments about why CCs are as good or better than NCs were in direct reponse to your question. You made the claim they weren't special, so everyone chimed in. So if the guys here are spinning their wheels, it's because you asked them to.
> 
> You've changed the question from what you originally asked, and frankly, the question as stated is kind of silly. It's obvious to everyone why noobs get excited to smoke CCs. They do so because of half a century of mystique, and the fact that most of the more experienced smokers, and even most guys like myself who consider themselves to barely be dipping our toes in the water, go on about how good CCs are and how they're just different than anything outside of Cuba. Which they are.
> 
> ...


The last part of your post was the only part I can accept as a well thought out and respectful argument. The only part I disagree with is that you believe this effects only noobs, where I believe it effects all who tend to have a close mentality and tend to be judgmental toward most things including cc.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

Dio said:


> First I think you should know what kind of replies you are gonna get since it is the "Habanos Discussion forums". This is called selection bias because people coming here reading your post are more likely to be those who put CCs above NCs.
> 
> Second I don't think you can easily mark any cigar as "over-hyped" since preference for cigars is just subjective. To me if you love the cigar, cc or nc, and are not scared away by the price tag than that is your cigar. I have friends who only smoke CCs and those who purchase both. I even have couple friends who only smoke NCs not because they can not afford the CCs but because they do not like the "cuban twang".


I'm sorry, but where do you suggest I start a thread regarding peoples perception on Cuban Cigars?

Secondly. I don't want to change what you or anybody else prefers! We all have our favorites and who the heck am I (or anyone else) to tell you if they should or shouldn't be your favorites. All I'm saying is that most people tend to threat/smoke/rate/talk about a cc in a matter that is less objective than nc *IMO.*

Sorry for the tone, but it seems that every time I try to clarify the point of the thread someone starts talking about personal preference again. This thread was not initiated to discuss personal preferences, but to analyze what are most people personal preferences based on. As I pointed out in one of my example. When the same set of people smoked the same exact cigar, they had different opinions of that cigar when they thought it was a cc and when not. Perception is key here people...not personal preference.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

I do think that new smokers have the reaction to Cuban cigars that you are referring to. It is only natural since as was stated earlier in the thread, everything in the cigar world pretty much is compared to Cuban cigars. Cuban seed, Cubanesque, Cuban style, etc. I also feel that the reasoning that they are "harder" to obtain is false. They are as easy to obtain as any other cigar on the market and notably easier to get than most of the HTF non-Cubans. Not to mention that they are, for the most part, cheaper.

There is also the fact that in countries where they are both legal the Cuban cigars outsell their counterpart by quite a margin. One would assume that those with access to either are making their choice based on the taste of the Cuban leaf. There is just a certain "something" that separates Cuban cigars from others. In the cigar world this is generally referred to as "twang".


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Habanolover said:


> There is also the fact that in countries where they are both legal the Cuban cigars outsell their counterpart by quite a margin. One would assume that those with access to either are making their choice based on the taste of the Cuban leaf.


 Being a member of this demographic you are quite correct in my experience. :thumb:


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## Dio (Nov 17, 2012)

Apologize for not interpreting your in the correct way and not making myself clear.

What I was trying to say is not that you should start the tread some places else but that starting a thread in this sub forum would of course arouse answers from those little bit offended by the phrase "over-hyped".

I know you are not trying to tell ppl what to like, but by saying ccs are "over-hyped", you are, IMO, bringing subjectivity in the first place. Speaking for myself, I think I can distinguish, not 100% accurate, a cc from a Nicaragua puro, or a Nicaragua puro from Domincan puro, but I don't think CCs are necessarily superior to the others. I agree with you that there are ppl who say ccs are better based on their perception, but I also believe there are many others who do prefer CCs to NCs. 


Regiampiero said:


> I'm sorry, but where do you suggest I start a thread regarding peoples perception on Cuban Cigars?
> 
> Secondly. I don't want to change what you or anybody else prefers! We all have our favorites and who the heck am I (or anyone else) to tell you if they should or shouldn't be your favorites. All I'm saying is that most people tend to threat/smoke/rate/talk about a cc in a matter that is less objective than nc *IMO.*
> 
> Sorry for the tone, but it seems that every time I try to clarify the point of the thread someone starts talking about personal preference again. This thread was not initiated to discuss personal preferences, but to analyze what are most people personal preferences based on. As I pointed out in one of my example. When the same set of people smoked the same exact cigar, they had different opinions of that cigar when they thought it was a cc and when not. Perception is key here people...not personal preference.


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## Dio (Nov 17, 2012)

Not sure about the price in Australia but if I were living in Europe or Canada I would smoke more CCs t because good NCs are not only harder to come by but sold at insane prices. 


Tashaz said:


> Being a member of this demographic you are quite correct in my experience. :thumb:


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## StogieNinja (Jul 29, 2009)

Regiampiero said:


> I'm sorry, but if you try to quote me, you should at least do so in context. You take the initial part of what said (which was cc positive) out and starting to quote me were I was being argumentative, and you're calling me erroneous?!


So instead of saying "Why do people think all Cubans are good, here's reasons why they aren't", you actually said "I like Cubans, but why do other people think they're all good, here's reasons why they aren't."

Sorry for taking you out of context, but the point still stands: you brought out a bunch of reasons why you thought CCs aren't as good (cost more, rank lower, and all the good blenders/rollers are gone), and then asked why people thought they were good... and now you're wondering why people are giving arguments about the relative qualities of CCs?



Regiampiero said:


> And no...I didn't change my question. As you can see on the second sentence I'm still pondering on why most people think a cc is good simply because its Cuban!


And the answer to that question is what has been argued over six pages. Why do people think CCs are good just because they're Cuban? Because the fact that they're Cuban means they're good. That's what everyone has been trying to say over the last six pages. There's just something inherent in the flavors of a CC that you can't find anywhere else. By nature of the fact that it came from Cuba, it's likely to be a delicious cigar.

The question your asking can really only be answered two ways:

"Because we're all sheep", which I suspect is the answer you have in your mind,

and

"Because they are", which is the answer the rest of us are giving.



Regiampiero said:


> I Never said anything about good cc being bad or inferior to nc. The rest of the paragraph was devoted to explain why I believe that there's as good of tobacco outside Cuba as there's in Cuba (IMO), yet people still consider nc a second class citizen to cc.


Sure you did. You talked about how they rated lower at a higher price point, and how they had zero advantage over NCs because they lost their blenders and torcedors.



Regiampiero said:


> Also the rankings I used were from Cigar Journal, not Cigar Aficionado. Might want to read who is actually posting certain things when you read.


Apologies for assuming the rankings were CA and not CJ. Regardless, the point still stands: you were using the rankings to argue that higher-priced CCs were inferior to their lower-priced NC competitors.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Dio said:


> Not sure about the price in Australia but if I were living in Europe or Canada I would smoke more CCs t because good NCs are not only harder to come by but sold at insane prices.


Price is not a factor being that all premium cigars are expensive here & just like my US based brethren do with Havanas I can always import my own NCs (and have done so on a few ocassions).


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

Tashaz said:


> Price is not a factor being that all premium cigars are expensive here & just like my US based brethren do with Havanas I can always import my own NCs (and have done so on a few ocassions).


Yeah, you guys get #$#$% on taxes, cheap or expensive.
Good thing there's an underground (overwater) railroad.....


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## Dio (Nov 17, 2012)

Price is not a factor to you but it is to me. If I buy CCs from LCDH, I pay the same price as you do. If I buy NCs here, I probably pay only a half (maybe even less) of what they are asked for. For example, I pay 9 for a LP No.9 robusto and for the money I enjoy it as much as PSD4. However if an LP No.9 cost 15 bucks I think would rather use the money to buy Cuaba Salomone. 


Tashaz said:


> Price is not a factor being that all premium cigars are expensive here & just like my US based brethren do with Havanas I can always import my own NCs (and have done so on a few ocassions).


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

Habanolover said:


> I do think that new smokers have the reaction to Cuban cigars that you are referring to. It is only natural since as was stated earlier in the thread, everything in the cigar world pretty much is compared to Cuban cigars. Cuban seed, Cubanesque, Cuban style, etc. I also feel that the reasoning that they are "harder" to obtain is false. They are as easy to obtain as any other cigar on the market and notably easier to get than most of the HTF non-Cubans. Not to mention that they are, for the most part, cheaper.
> 
> There is also the fact that in countries where they are both legal the Cuban cigars outsell their counterpart by quite a margin. One would assume that those with access to either are making their choice based on the taste of the Cuban leaf. There is just a certain "something" that separates Cuban cigars from others. In the cigar world this is generally referred to as "twang".


I agree with the newer population of cigar smokers having a different reaction to Cubans than a nc. However, I tend to think that the Cuban twang is harder to identify than what a lot of people seem to suggest. I'm no expert with Cubans, but I've smoked around 50 cc (Predomently Monte Cristo, Partagasits and Bolivars) in my life. Each time a l smoke a cc, there's definitely a unique profile and smoothness to them. As far as individual flavor flavors go, I've never picked up one that was foreign to me. Usually a lot of earthiness accompanied by a lot of spice that comes from any extra fermented ligero leaf Cuban or non.



Tashaz said:


> Being a member of this demographic you are quite correct in my experience. :thumb:


I agree



Dio said:


> Apologize for not interpreting your in the correct way and not making myself clear.
> 
> What I was trying to say is not that you should start the tread some places else but that starting a thread in this sub forum would of course arouse answers from those little bit offended by the phrase "over-hyped".
> 
> I know you are not trying to tell ppl what to like, but by saying ccs are "over-hyped", you are, IMO, bringing subjectivity in the first place. Speaking for myself, I think I can distinguish, not 100% accurate, a cc from a Nicaragua puro, or a Nicaragua puro from Domincan puro, but I don't think CCs are necessarily superior to the others. I agree with you that there are ppl who say ccs are better based on their perception, but I also believe there are many others who do prefer CCs to NCs.


Don't sweat it...and yes I'm bring in subjectivity, but not in terms has what people like to taste, but in terms of what people are swayed by in their opinions of things. To tell you the truth. I was watching an episode of that new show "Brain Games" on the discovery and the crap they pulled didn't effect me as much as it did most other people, but it made me wonder how much do we really know what we're being influenced by. Since I'm a cigar nut, I naturally applied it to cc and nc debate. What do I mean...At the end of the show, their illusionist co-host gave a fill-in-the-blank statement that went something like 'I'm thirsty, could you get me a cold glass of ___'. I thought to my self "Water", but the people around me said "Milk". Their explanation was that they conditioned our brain trough the show to associate milk to thirsty with various posters, conveniently placed words and son on. Although I didn't fall for it (Probably because I wasn't paying much attention trough the show) I was wondering if I've been effected by similar marketing plots and the first thing that popped in my mind was cc.



Dio said:


> Not sure about the price in Australia but if I were living in Europe or Canada I would smoke more CCs t because good NCs are not only harder to come by but sold at insane prices.


Damn! I feel bad for Aussies.


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## Wicked_Rhube (Jul 29, 2012)

If I am at a party and I ask 10 men, non smokers, if they would like to join me for a cigar and explain that I have these really tasty Nicaraguan sticks, hard to find LIga Privadas, I might get a couple bites (non smokers people, non smokers....). If I offer the same 10 men a "genuine Cuban cigar", I'd probably get all but the one that has their balls in their wife's pocket book to join me, even if they were just so so machine rolled mixed filler knock around sticks. That is the "hype" factor in my opinion. Whether or not it is justified is something I plan on discovering for myself.


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

Wicked_Rhube said:


> If I am at a party and I ask 10 men, non smokers, if they would like to join me for a cigar and explain that I have these really tasty Nicaraguan sticks, hard to find LIga Privadas, I might get a couple bites (non smokers people, non smokers....). If I offer the same 10 men a "genuine Cuban cigar", I'd probably get all but the one that has their balls in their wife's pocket book to join me, even if they were just so so machine rolled mixed filler knock around sticks. That is the "hype" factor in my opinion. Whether or not it is justified is something I plan on discovering for myself.


That is part of it I would agree. 
There is a mystique about it since they are not 'readily' found. It's a wow factor for those that don't smoke cigars regularly.
Those that have sampled havanas (as Bob correctly identifies) extensively do realize that the flavor is unique. I may not be able to correctly identify many, many cigars but if you put a rass in a bunch of random unbanded cigars I will know that one, simply because it's my favorite cigar and one I go back to continuously. Beside the 'twang' there is a floral perfume with a rass (intensity) that I have not found in other cigars.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Dio said:


> Price is not a factor to you but it is to me. If I buy CCs from LCDH, I pay the same price as you do. If I buy NCs here, I probably pay only a half (maybe even less) of what they are asked for. For example, I pay 9 for a LP No.9 robusto and for the money I enjoy it as much as PSD4. However if an LP No.9 cost 15 bucks I think would rather use the money to buy Cuaba Salomone.


You are not quite getting what I'm trying to say (my fault as usual). Consider a scenario where that Liga and the Cuaba were within a dollar of each other price wise.


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## Dio (Nov 17, 2012)

My bad causing the confusion.
If Liga and the Cuaba Salomone were within a dollar of each other price wise, yes I am definitely smoking the latter. However, LP is not more expensive than a PSD4 here and I find both quite enjoyable. 


Tashaz said:


> You are not quite getting what I'm trying to say (my fault as usual). Consider a scenario where that Liga and the Cuaba were within a dollar of each other price wise.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

Wicked_Rhube said:


> If I am at a party and I ask 10 men, non smokers, if they would like to join me for a cigar and explain that I have these really tasty Nicaraguan sticks, hard to find LIga Privadas, I might get a couple bites (non smokers people, non smokers....). If I offer the same 10 men a "genuine Cuban cigar", I'd probably get all but the one that has their balls in their wife's pocket book to join me, even if they were just so so machine rolled mixed filler knock around sticks. That is the "hype" factor in my opinion. Whether or not it is justified is something I plan on discovering for myself.


Now we're getting somewhere! This is what I want to find out as well...I just thought someone might have the answer already, but I guess not.



piperdown said:


> That is part of it I would agree.
> There is a mystique about it since they are not 'readily' found. It's a wow factor for those that don't smoke cigars regularly.
> Those that have sampled havanas (as Bob correctly identifies) extensively do realize that the flavor is unique. I may not be able to correctly identify many, many cigars but if you put a rass in a bunch of random unbanded cigars I will know that one, simply because it's my favorite cigar and one I go back to continuously. Beside the 'twang' there is a floral perfume with a rass (intensity) that I have not found in other cigars.


I don't doubt that you'll be able to correctly identify a rass if that's your go to smoke, in fact I would put money on it that you would. Once your palate is trained to identify a certain flavor profile (In this case the floral perfume you speak of) you'll should be able to identify it more times than not. I believe each blend combination and the way their wrapped always creates a unique experience in a cigar...but if you buy into this theory, how can you justify the people that say you can identify a cc from a nc regardless of the blend and/or maker? If there's a unique flavor profile (or twang) on every cc, than there can be that many unique tasting ccs. I think all cc are very different in their own right, so to say they all have an un-confusable characteristic is absurd to me. If that were the case, there would only be one cigar maker in all of Cuba "The Cheapest". This is why I want to disprove this "twang" theory everybody seem to be so fund of because I believe it to be sub-consciously placed in the cigar. If I can prove this, I would have proven that cc are in part the best because people believe them to be more than them tasting them to be.

I now, I now...I'm crazy to think that bla bla bla, but if I'm right they will right folk songs about me. :boohoo:


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## john_007 (Nov 4, 2011)

Regiampiero said:


> Now we're getting somewhere! This is what I want to find out as well...I just thought someone might have the answer already, but I guess not.
> 
> I don't doubt that you'll be able to correctly identify a rass if that's your go to smoke, in fact I would put money on it that you would. Once your palate is trained to identify a certain flavor profile (In this case the floral perfume you speak of) you'll should be able to identify it more times than not. I believe each blend combination and the way their wrapped always creates a unique experience in a cigar...but if you buy into this theory, how can you justify the people that say you can identify a cc from a nc regardless of the blend and/or maker? If there's a unique flavor profile (or twang) on every cc, than there can be that many unique tasting ccs. I think all cc are very different in their own right, so to say they all have an un-confusable characteristic is absurd to me. If that were the case, there would only be one cigar maker in all of Cuba "The Cheapest". This is why I want to disprove this "twang" theory everybody seem to be so fund of because I believe it to be sub-consciously placed in the cigar. If I can prove this, I would have proven that cc are in part the best because people believe them to be more than them tasting them to be.
> 
> I now, I now...I'm crazy to think that bla bla bla, but if I'm right they will right folk songs about me. :boohoo:


Why do you want to prove that? Why do you care what the reason people smoke certain cigars? If you think people are being "taken" for some reason besides a fact that something is actually better then isn't it enough to know you aren't and just let people enjoy what they want. If I would rather eat McDonald's than a great aged steak, and believe it to be better then wouldn't you just think that guy is crazy and move on. I guess I question you motives, it seems like your trying to cause animosity.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

john_007 said:


> Why do you want to prove that? Why do you care what the reason people smoke certain cigars? If you think people are being "taken" for some reason besides a fact that something is actually better then isn't it enough to know you aren't and just let people enjoy what they want. If I would rather eat McDonald's than a great aged steak, and believe it to be better then wouldn't you just think that guy is crazy and move on. I guess I question you motives, it seems like your trying to cause animosity.


Just because I want to prove it, doesn't mean that you need to find out about it. This is something I'm curious about, and when I get curious about something I thinker with it just because its the human condition. If you don't want to know if you're being subjected to subliminal messaging that entices you to buy a certain cigar (Not necessarily a cc) over another, I'll promise I wont tell you. As far as my motives...I think their pretty clear. I want to know if I'm effected by it just as much as everyone else, the only problem is that I can't test a physiological theory on my self. So if its true for others, than its probably true for me as well.

On the other hand, if you really believe that I shouldn't care about what everybody likes and dislikes (Which I don't), than why do you care if I want to know if I'm being subliminally manipulated by advertising companies, social and not social media and so on? Caring what others do its a two way street. If you're asking why I care about this, you are caring about what I think. I'm not forcing you to read, post and follow this thread. You could have chosen to just ignore it (Following your own advise) and move on, but instead you initiated animosity by posting in a hypocritical way.


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## john_007 (Nov 4, 2011)

The title of this thread is why are cuban cigars so over-hyped, thus stating you think people hold them up to be something they aren't. Then when very respected members of this board give you reasons as to why they are not made out to be something more than they are, you don't give it any mind you just argue back. For all I know you are only in search of a truth you feel many wouldn't bother looking for and I'm off base. With all that said I hope you find what you looking for.


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## avitti (Jun 4, 2011)

john_007 said:


> The title of this thread is why are cuban cigars so over-hyped, thus stating you think people hold them up to be something they aren't. Then when very respected members of this board give you reasons as to why they are not made out to be something more than they are, you don't give it any mind you just argue back. For all I know you are only in search of a truth you feel many wouldn't bother looking for and I'm off base. With all that said I hope you find what you looking for.


John i think-not really sure but i think he's looking for the general cigar discussion forum-you know- the other side..


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## john_007 (Nov 4, 2011)

avitti said:


> John i think-not really sure but i think he's looking for the general cigar discussion forum-you know- the other side..


Ahh ok no I see, it's been many moons since I've ventured to that side.


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## BamaDoc77 (Jan 31, 2007)

I like ponies...... .


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

Some thinks Cubans are over-hyped. Others think high priced NCs are over hyped. While others still, think that moderately priced NCs are over hyped because they seem to be hard to find, so they pay double, triple, or 4 times the SRP.

Personally, I don't care. Most of my Cigars are Cubans. But I do have a sizable stock of NCs as well. Some are puros, some are not. I smoke them all.

Are Cuban Cigars better than NCs? For me, it depends on my mood. But give me a really old, well kept Cuban... now THAT is a great cigar.... Although... some of my really old, well kept NCs are good as well.

Are Cubans better than Non Cubans? Maybe in amateur boxing LOL. Just kidding.


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

OK
Cubans are way over-rated...
Put a fork in this thread, it is done....Mods, please stop the bleeding,


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

asmartbull said:


> OK
> Cubans are way over-rated...
> Put a fork in this thread, it is done....Mods, please stop the bleeding,


And yet again, you & I think alike Al. 

Maybe the OP should revisit this in the NC threads without mention of Habanos as that could be interesting reading or maybe not. LOL. :spy:


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

Regiampiero said:


> Now we're getting somewhere! This is what I want to find out as well...I just thought someone might have the answer already, but I guess not.
> 
> I don't doubt that you'll be able to correctly identify a rass if that's your go to smoke, in fact I would put money on it that you would. Once your palate is trained to identify a certain flavor profile (In this case the floral perfume you speak of) you'll should be able to identify it more times than not. I believe each blend combination and the way their wrapped always creates a unique experience in a cigar...but if you buy into this theory, how can you justify the people that say you can identify a cc from a nc regardless of the blend and/or maker? If there's a unique flavor profile (or twang) on every cc, than there can be that many unique tasting ccs. I think all cc are very different in their own right, so to say they all have an un-confusable characteristic is absurd to me. If that were the case, there would only be one cigar maker in all of Cuba "The Cheapest". This is why I want to disprove this "twang" theory everybody seem to be so fund of because I believe it to be sub-consciously placed in the cigar. If I can prove this, I would have proven that cc are in part the best because people believe them to be more than them tasting them to be.
> 
> I now, I now...I'm crazy to think that bla bla bla, but if I'm right they will right folk songs about me. :boohoo:


My point was that cigar smokers can not only pick up the difference between cigars but the palette can become trained to know the difference, which for me, is where the rass comes in.

With the title of this thread and the back and forth it seems your mind is made up and you are looking to prove to everyone that havana's are over hyped.
In the meantime you have many experienced smokers responding that they're not.......
Smoke what you like, like what you smoke.


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## Jordan23 (May 25, 2012)

BamaDoc77 said:


> I like ponies...... .


...and I like this post! :rotfl:

Sorry, that was totally off topic.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Jordan23 said:


> ...and I like this post! :rotfl:
> 
> Sorry, that was totally off topic.


Aardvaarks would be off topic, Ponies are fine. :madgrin:


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Jordan23 said:


> ...and I like this post! :rotfl:
> 
> Sorry, that was totally off topic.


Yeah, but it _was_ a nice post! :lol:


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Why are ponies so over-hyped?


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## Jordan23 (May 25, 2012)

MarkC said:


> Yeah, but it _was_ a nice post! :lol:





Tashaz said:


> Aardvaarks would be off topic, Ponies are fine. :madgrin:


You guys....:biglaugh:



piperdown said:


> ....With the title of this thread and the back and forth it seems your mind is made up and you are looking to prove to everyone that havana's are over hyped.
> In the meantime you have many experienced smokers responding that they're not.......
> Smoke what you like, like what you smoke.


Now for my serious contribution. I got to agree to with Eric here. You do seem to have your mind made up and thats FINE! If thats how you feel. I guess I just dont care (not throwing a stone at the OP, I'm of the mind if you dont like a thread, just ignore it) the what, why regarding others and their cigars. Well, I'll moonwalk a bit, because I am a member of cigar forum after all. I care what people smoke (because I may like it), why (because I might find it useful for that reason-ie a yard gar)...to an extent..because at the end of the day it's just me and the cigar. For *me* this topic has reach that undefinable "extent", you think they're a bit overhyped due to perception, many experienced smokers (like Eric said) who have been smoking for decades think they're not, many smokers (like me) who've been smoking them less than a year think they're not, many smokers think they are, many smokers think this...think that... It justs goes round and round (which is cool if people find it fascinating). But it'll just keep going because you cant "prove" taste (I mean what people like, now being able to recognize a cuban-that's provable). You can "prove" perception and there have been some great post about that. My brother who only smokes machine cigarillos smokes with me sometimes when he visits. He doesnt even like cigars, but he gets a "charge" out of smoking some of my Cubans...not because he likes them per se' but because he can say he smoked a Cuban. So I agree that happens at FIRST for some. But for all of the people who have been smoking them for thirty years or like me, who often smoke alone in a garage while reading...the "cool factor" is not what keeps us buying or smoking...

To me Eric's last line is the key. Smoke what you like. I smoke cigars for me.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

asmartbull said:


> Put a fork in this thread, it is done....Mods, please stop the bleeding,





Tashaz said:


> And yet again, you & I think alike Al.





piperdown said:


> With the title of this thread and the back and forth it seems your mind is made up and you are looking to prove to everyone that havana's are over hyped.


I agree. Closing this one down before it spirals out of control.

If the OP wants it reopened then please feel free to PM me or another mod and we will discuss reopening it. Right now I can see no good that is going to come from both sides repeating the same thing ad nauseam. Tastes are subjective and all that really matters is that people smoke what they enjoy. Doesn't matter if they have been "tricked" into smoking them or they just find them more enjoyable.


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

mikebjrtx said:


> Why are ponies so over-hyped?


Because they're expensive, hard to acquire and difficult to maintain. But everyone believes that ponies are special when a dog would be just as good.


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